Column

Self-proclaimed environmental champions have a ways to go Within the span of a few days last summer, I made the trip from Davis to the Bay area three times — twice by car, once by train. Each time I had a different view of the several massive oil refineries scattered throughout Richmond, Martinez and Benicia. […]

Library fines are every avid library patron’s nightmare, but they don’t have to be This summer I went back to my library to work as a co-coordinator running a month-long summer reading camp for elementary school kids. I noticed flyers across the library saying that the Alameda County Library (ACL) system had gone fine-free starting […]

Mike Vick: dog owner Michael Vick is the most divisive NFL player of all time. Before going to prison, Vick ran a dog fighting ring and killed underperforming dogs by hanging them, electrocuting them or drowning them. He is also the fastest player to ever play quarterback in the NFL, holds multiple NFL records and […]

“Koyaanisqatsi” (1982) stands the test of time The release of “An Inconvenient Truth” in 2006 helped initiate a string of powerful new documentaries about the existential threat of climate change and the countless sustainability crises we face. I’m thinking of films like “Chasing Ice,” “Chasing Coral,” Leonardo DiCaprio’s “Ice on Fire,” “Before the Flood” and, […]

Chancellor May responds to The California Aggie’s editorial voicing concerns about the 2020 commencement To the Editor:  Re: “Students deserve a commencement that celebrates them, not a high-profile speaker” by the Editorial Board (editorial, Oct. 24): With regard to your Oct. 24 editorial, one portion of the headline is worth repeating: “Students deserve a commencement […]

Judging kids for what they read discourages them from exploring their interests I’ve talked a bit about how I’ve personally felt disgruntled with the reading curriculum throughout my middle school and high school experience. That isn’t to say that I didn’t appreciate the work and effort that my English teachers put into my education, I […]

Should environmentalists be encouraged or discouraged by his brief tenure on the national stage? Even though I’ve now been in California for three years, I’m still a Washington resident; I grew up just north of Seattle. As a proud Washingtonian, I was excited when my governor, Jay Inslee, announced in March that he’d be running […]

The NFL is doing next to nothing to limit or punish domestic abusers October is National Domestic Abuse Awareness Month, and there’s good reason for dedicating a month to this issue. The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that 1.3 million women and 835,000 men are victims of physical violence by a partner every year, with […]

We should recognize the importance of public libraries in the face of nation-wide budget cuts When it comes to libraries, I like to consider myself one of their biggest fans, second only to Rory Gilmore. My fascination began in the second grade when I was issued my first library card and realized it was a […]

Don’t hate on this literary “fad”  I used to have a personal vendetta against fanfiction in middle school. Key word, used to — I really don’t feel the same way anymore. Some of my friends were avid Wattpad readers, a popular site for fanfiction and other reads, and I couldn’t understand why they took time […]

NFL officials are falling behind in a league that is moving faster than ever The National Football League and the NFL Referees Association came to a consensus on a new collective bargaining agreement that guarantees compensation and benefits to NFL officials for the next seven years, on Saturday, Sept. 28. It is an agreement we […]

No matter who it is. No matter what. Like many American progressives, I believe our country is in desperate need of many fundamental changes. And I agree with the progressive principles that inform the policies that have been proposed as potential solutions to the many problems we face, especially pollution and environmental degradation. It remains […]